H.R. 1472

To rename the Homestead National Monument of America near Beatrice, Nebraska, as the Homestead National Historical Park

STATEMENT OF P. DANIEL SMITH, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, EXERCISING THE AUTHORITY OF THE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, BEFORE THE HOUSE NATURAL RESOURCES SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL PARKS, FORESTS, AND PUBLIC LANDS, CONCERNING H.R. 1472, TO RENAME THE HOMESTEAD NATIONAL  MONUMENT OF AMERICA NEAR BEATRICE, NEBRASKA, AS THE HOMESTEAD NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK.

MAY 22, 2019
_____________________________________________________________________________

Chairwoman Haaland, Ranking Member Young, and members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to present the Department of the Interior’s views on H.R. 1472, to rename the Homestead National Monument of America near Beatrice, Nebraska, as the Homestead National Historical Park.

The Department supports H.R. 1472, as we believe that the name “Homestead National Historical Park” is an appropriate designation for this unit of the National Park System.

The Homestead National Monument of America was authorized by Congress in 1936, after acquisition of the site of the Daniel Freeman homestead, as a lasting memorial to the settlers who built the American West. The Freeman homestead was one of the first sites successfully claimed under the Homestead Act, which was enacted in 1862 to encourage the settlement of Western lands by offering ownership of 160 acres of land to heads of households who agreed to live on and farm the land for five years.

In 1971, legislation was passed to add the Freeman School, an original one-room prairie schoolhouse. Today, the park also includes the Homestead Heritage Center with interactive displays and 100 acres of tallgrass prairie restored.

The National Park Service encourages Congress to designate units of the National Park System in accordance with a standard pattern of nomenclature. Homestead National Monument of America”, with the addition “of America” to the title “national monument” has made it an anomaly. Redesignating the unit as a national historical park would give the park a name that is one of the National Park Service’s standard designations, and one that is appropriate for a unit that is large and has a complexity of physical resources. This renaming would not have a significant financial impact as the park would update maps and signage as a part of routine maintenance and reordering of interpretive materials.

Ms. Chairwoman, this concludes my statement. I would be pleased to answer any questions you or other members of the Subcommittee may have.

Was this page helpful?

Please provide a comment